CaroleMeckes
31st January 2008, 11:12 PM
Another way that bamboo saved the day!
It was a windy day and I was very content making bamboo beads, but the wind started blowing strong and I noticed that my tent cover was waving in the wind.
I really needed that tent - so I did not want to let it get destroyed. It was an inexpensive tent that had one inch metal poles that fit into each other. It was a fun project to put together - like an erector set. Mark had pounded fence posts into the ground (the day before he passed away) and we had raised up the tent and attached it with ball bungies to the fence posts.
To fix the tent - I first found a center pole that would hold up the center part of the tent. I tied an old sponge to the top of the bamboo pole because I did not want it to rip the plastic fabric. Then I removed all the broken metal pieces and looked for a 9 1/2 foot long bamboo that would fit into the plastic fittings. I found a piece of Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr' that I thought would work. Like many bamboos, it tapered and I had to carve one side so that it would fit into the plastic fitting. At the other end - it was too narrow - so I found a piece of aurea that would fit into the plastic and made the thin side of the alphonse karr fit into the aurea. I had to lower the tent, as I could not reach up high enough to get the bamboo into the 2 slots. After a few tries, I added a little bit of duct tape to help hold the thing together. The Alphonse Karr was probably not the best choice because it is not straight - but I got the tent back together and proceeded back to my bamboo bead making.
Just thought I'd post these pics to illustrate the fun time that I had fixing the tent.
It is a little bit "funky" but it works...
Carole
It was a windy day and I was very content making bamboo beads, but the wind started blowing strong and I noticed that my tent cover was waving in the wind.
I really needed that tent - so I did not want to let it get destroyed. It was an inexpensive tent that had one inch metal poles that fit into each other. It was a fun project to put together - like an erector set. Mark had pounded fence posts into the ground (the day before he passed away) and we had raised up the tent and attached it with ball bungies to the fence posts.
To fix the tent - I first found a center pole that would hold up the center part of the tent. I tied an old sponge to the top of the bamboo pole because I did not want it to rip the plastic fabric. Then I removed all the broken metal pieces and looked for a 9 1/2 foot long bamboo that would fit into the plastic fittings. I found a piece of Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr' that I thought would work. Like many bamboos, it tapered and I had to carve one side so that it would fit into the plastic fitting. At the other end - it was too narrow - so I found a piece of aurea that would fit into the plastic and made the thin side of the alphonse karr fit into the aurea. I had to lower the tent, as I could not reach up high enough to get the bamboo into the 2 slots. After a few tries, I added a little bit of duct tape to help hold the thing together. The Alphonse Karr was probably not the best choice because it is not straight - but I got the tent back together and proceeded back to my bamboo bead making.
Just thought I'd post these pics to illustrate the fun time that I had fixing the tent.
It is a little bit "funky" but it works...
Carole